Tow-boat for canals



(No Model.) I 3 SheetsS he'et 1. D. W. 000KB.

TOW BOAT FOR UANALS.

No. 313,920. Patented Mar. 1'7, 1885* 91/2722; .96 a J, ojzz 776.22 farN4 PETERS. Phmumn m m, Washinglbrl. a, c

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DAVID WELLES COOKE, OF FRANKLIN, TENNESSEE.

TOW-BOAT FOR CANALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 313,920, dated March17, 1885.

7 Application filed February 10, 1880. Renewed June 14, 1884. (X mode.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, DAVID WV. 00mm, of Franklin city, Villiamson county,and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Canal-Boat Transportation; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a clear, full, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to an improved system or method for canal-boattransportation, the object of which is to afford an economical mode andmeans of transporting merchandise on canals. The means employed in saidsystem are a train of boats closely connected by concave and convexjoints. Said boats are all made of the same width and depth, and aredrawn through the water when in a canal by a locomotive tug-boat, whichis provided with requisite motive power and mechanism.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the meansemployed to render said system available, and is fully set forth in thefollowing description.

Figure 1 represents a plan view of a locomotive tug-boat. Fig. 2 is avertical longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a view of the bowend thereof, Fig. 4 being the view of the stern end. i Fig 5 representsa vertical cross-section cutting through on a plane indicated by dottedlines in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 6 represents a view of a traction-wheelemployed in the locomotive tug-boat. Fig. 7 is a 3 5 vertical section ofthe same, cutting the wheel at right angles to the plane in which itrevolves. Fig. 8 is a reduced sectional view of said wheel, the sectionbeing at right angles to the sectional plane shown in Fig 7. Figs. 9 and10 are views of interchangeable segments which form the circumferenceand tread of the tractionwheel. Figs 11 and 12 are detached views of adevice employed for elevating and depressing the locomotive tug-boat.Fig. 13 represents a plan view of a train of canal-boats. Fig. 14. is aside elevation of the same. Fig. 15 is a broken vertical section of theadjoining ends of the boats. Fig. 16 is a cross-section of a canal-boat.Fig.17 represents a longitudinal section of a draw-head to be used incoupling the boats and connecting the tiller cords or ropes.

Similar letters of reference refer to corresponding parts in all of thefigures.

Fig. 1 is a representation of a plan view 5 of my locomotive tug-boat,the bow of which is made sharp, while its stern is made concave, asshown in the figure. The boat is provided with three water-compartments,one of which is situated in the bow at 0, while the other compartments,A. A, are upon opposite sides of said boat, and extend from the sternend thereofto about one-third of said boats length. Thesewater-compartments are connected by' a system of pipes, K, which areprovided with I valves R, for the purpose of regulating the flow ofwater between the bow and stern tanks. A pump, N, is employed to pumpwater from the bow-tank when required, and also fronr the compartments AA through pipes Klf The water is discharged from these compart ments forthe purposeof floating the boat when it becomes necessary to remove saidboat from the track.

I do not limit myself to the means shown for 7 discharging water fromthe stern compart ments, for a pump or other devices may be em ployed inconnection with said compartmentsf whereby said water can be discharged.Be tween the two stern compartments two weltspaces are formed, whichpass entirely through the depth of the boat. The inner walls of the twowater-compartments form one side of each of the two well-spaces, whilethe other two sides are formed by a partition, a at. These well-spacesare made sufficiently wide to ceive their respective traction-wheels GC, an allow of sufficient clearance to admit of packed slides b b, whichare connected to the wheels 0 O by means of the axles thereon. Thfs 'j oslides are made somewhat thicker than th sides a a for the purpose ofallowing a groov b,to be formed therein. This groove receiv si the fourends of the two internal sides of the? well-spaces. Suitablepackin gmaterial can be used in connection with the joints thus forified-i toprevent leakage. The space formed by sea between the two internal sides,a a, of said ll spaces is provided with a frame, G, one) of which restsupon a screw, 1", and its 0 end upon extension-bars, which terminal ornear the bow-tank O and the bottom h boat, the ends of said bars beingpivoted jaslfo as shown in Fig. 2. This pivot 0 is thecenter on whichthe frame moves or turns when (Shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5.) Thesefulcrums operated by the hand-wheel I. I employ the long radius from 0to I", for the purpose of allowing the axle of the wheels 0 G toapproximate to a vertical rise and fall.

F are two engines secured to frame G, and revolve the traction -wheels 0O by means of the two piston-rods d and cranks d. The engines receivetheir supply of steam from the boiler B and conducting-pipes n and m, orby and through other equivalent means. The steam-pipe m should beflexible or provided with a flexible joint so as to compensate for therise and fall of the frame on which the engines rest.

H represents a deck or platform secured to the two internal partitions,a a, and is used for the purpose of forming afixed bearing for thevertical shaft 1, and for a person to stand upon while turning saidshaft. The lower end of this shaft is secured to the bottom of the boatby means of the binder p, which is provided with an oil-cup, as shown inFig. 2. This shaft 1 is also provided with a screw, 1", cut therein, andwith the rocking nut j thereon. This nut is provided with journals, asshown in Figs. 11 and 12, which project into opposite sides of thesliding frame In, said frame having V or square slides, Z, thereon,which fit into corresponding grooves in frame G. This device is for thepurpose of compensating for the arc of the circle through which frame Gis made to swing when elevated and depressed by the vertical shaft 1 andscrew 1'.

D represents two singleacting steam-cylinders, and E their piston-rods,the ends of which are provided with eyes ortheir equiv a lents, for thepurpose of attaching tiller cords or ropes.

S represents two brakes or rudders secured to the sides or corners ofthe boat by hinges 6. These brakes are made of suitable material, andare fitted into recesses in the sides or corners of said boat, for thepurpose of causing the-brakes, when-closed, to coincide with the sidesof the boat and offer no obstruction on their passage through the water.i t

f are tillers connected to said brakes, and. project inwardly over thedecks of the boats, where theends thereof are attached to tillercords.The water-compartments are filled by raising a valve, y,which covers anorifice, z, in the bottom of said compartments. (See Fig. 5.) The valvey is connected to a pipe, y, the lower end of which is perforated at z,for the purpose of filling said pipe and raising a float, 0c, and rod:0, whereby the depth of water in the compartments is known. The valveis raised by turning the wheel h, which causes pipe 3 and valve 3/ torise and fall by the screw and nut c. The bottom of said valve can bepacked with suitable material when a close joint is desired.

H represents fulcrums secured to the sides of the boat and at a point onsaid sides where the distance between them shall be about equal to thedistance between the two tracks X.

are for the purpose of forming a bearing for a settling-pole, whilealigning and adjusting the boat with the track, prior to bringing thewheels in contact therewith. I do not limit myself to this device inorder to obtain an alignment, as other devices can be employed.

Q Q in Figs. 1 and 2 represent shields incasing the aligning guidetrucks or wheels V. Said shields are employed to clear obstructions fromthe track and to form a cleavage for the wheels. The trucks V andshields Q are connected by frame-work o, as shown in Figs..2 and 3. Thisframe supports the bow end of the boat by means of the flange a, shaft\V, screw M, and nut r.

t and 8 represent a frame for securing and holding the nut r inposition, so that when the wheel M is turned either to the right or leftthe bow end of the boat, when'the bow compartment is tilled with water,will rise or fall,while the trucks remain on the track; but when thewater is discharged from said compartment the trucks on turning thewheel, as aforesaid, will rise and fall. while said boat remains in aconstant position.

N in Fig. 2 represents a pipe leading from pump N to the bottom of theboat, for the purpose of discharging all or part ofthe water from thebow and stern compartments, when desired.

U represents three plates or bars extending across the packed slide b,and riveted or otherwise secured on either side of said slide, for thepurpose ofre-enforcing and strengthening the walls a. Other or widerplates may be used, as circumstances may require; or other devices forstrengthening said wall can be adopt-ed.

The traction-wheel O is represented as resting on a rail and extendingentirely through the boat. 71v and h'representa device to which acoupling-link or spring draw-head is attached.

In the front elevation, Fig. 3, B represents a boiler; D, the twosteameylinders for operatingthe tiller-cords and brakes or rudders. M isa hand-wheel for elevating and lowering the bow ofv the boat and forraising the trucks V, which rest upon the track X.

In the rear elevation, Fig. 4, A represents the rear end of the twowater-compartments on each side of the boat.

which the motive power is applied for drawing the locomotive tug-boat,and for drawing a train of boats, when required. These wheels are shownresting upon a track, X X, which -is laid upon ties or sleepers on thebottom of a canal; or said ties and track can be elevated from thebottom of said canal, if desirable, or otherwise, as the nature of thebottom of the canal requires.

. S S are two brake-rudders secured to the corners of the boat. Theleft-hand brake is thrown out, while the one. on the right is closed.

' [2O 0 O are two traction driving-wheels, to,

- a freighted boat.

b I) represent the edge view of the packing- I tends back from the bowend of the boat to slide shown in Fig. 2. The length of these slides isnearly equal to the diameter of the driving-wheels, and they beingconnected to said wheels by means of the axles passing through them theywill always maintain the same relative position with said wheels, theends thereof never appearing above the bottom or below the deck of theboat. Conse quently when said slides are properly packed at the bottomof the boat no water can enter at the joints.

b b are the grooves which receive the interior walls, a a, as shown inFigs. 1 and 2.

I and I represent a hand-wheel and shaft for elevating and depressingthe stern of the boat.

The traction driving-wheels C are constructed in the manner shown inFigs. 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. The main part of the wheel is made by castingor other suitable manner, and with sockets therein which extend from thecircumference to about one-halfof the radius of the wheel, as shown atw. The divisions forming two sides of the sockets are shown at a, Fig.8. The segments 20 are made to it closely by driving into the sockets,andheld there in by pins 6 e. These wheels roll upon tracks X.

In Figs. 14 and 15, B represents broken views of alocomotive tug-boatconnected to a train of freight-boats, T. The ends of these boats aremade concave and convex, and are held together by couplings a, saidcouplings being connected to the boats by standards It and q. Thestandards or draft-bolts project above the deck of the boat to adistance which will equal the difference between a light and The top endof the stand ards are held in position by means of the braces h, whichare firmly secured to the deck. I attach these braces to the stern endsof all the boats, and arrange the boats in the train according to theirdisplacement. Those drawing the most water are placed in front, whilethose of less draft are at the rear of the train, as shown at Fig. 15. tis an adjustable hub on bolt or standard h beneath the connectinglink orspring draw-head. (Shown in Figs. 16 and 18.) The object of the hub isto support the end of the draw-head when the decks of the two contiguousboats are not within the same plane.

In the convex or bow end of theboats a well is formed by passing a pipe,j, through the deck and screwing the end into a socket fixed to thebottom of the boat, as shown in Fig. 16. To the end of this pipe whichprojects through the deck,I attach one end of the spring drawhead orconnecting-link,while within the pipe a rod,with a hook, p,on its lowerend is placed and held in position by means of a screw on the upper endof said rod and handwheel n. This rod, hook, and hand-wheel are for thepurpose of elevating and depressing an apron, A, which is secured to thebottom of the boats by a sliding joint, 22 and a. This apron exthedistance required, and entirely across the bottom and with taperingsides, as shown in Fig. 15 by full and dotted lines. These sides extendaround and inclose the convex ends and sides of the boats, so that whenthe apron is let down to correspond with the preceding boat no swirlingor eddying of the water will take place between the bottom of said boatand apron. These aprons can be lowered and elevated by means ot'strapsD, pivoted. to the sides of the apron, while the upper end, which isprovided with a series of holes, can be secured to the side of the boatby a bolt or other device.

In Fig. 18, r is an enlarged view of a flexible draw-head for connectingthe contiguous ends of a train of boats, said draw-head being for thepurpose of forming a flexible connection between the concave and convexends of the boats. This connection can be :made in the form of a spiralspring, but preferably in the manner shown in the figure, d being thespring placed between the cap a and head, which is screwed to rod 1".The case or barrel r and rod 7' are provided with eyes or books forconveniently attaching to and detaching from the draft-bolts h and q bymeans of the coupling-pin s and socket t, as shown in Fig. 16.

0 represents two tiller cords or ropes. One end of each is attached tothe piston-rods E on the deck of thelocomotive tug-boat. The cordsextend to and pass around pulleys J on the rear boat, and thence back toeach of the tillers f ,to which they are united. These tiller cords aredesigned to be made in sections and preferably of wire rope, and insections corresponding to the length of the boat. The ends of the cordsare to be provided with hooks and eyes, or their equivalents, forconveniently connecting when a train is to be made up; and, also, anyboats in the train can be disconnected and removed in a very short time.Flexible connections 1*,si1nilarto those shown in Figs. 16 and 18, canbe used in connection with the tiller-cords and tillers for the purposeof preventing a too sudden movement of the brakes S. These brakes arehinged at the corners of the stern of each boat and lap past the jointformed by two contiguous ends of said boats. The thickness of the brakesshould be recessed into the boat, so that when closed no obstructionwill be offered thereby while passing through the water. Vhen the boatsare to be stopped, steam is applied to the cylinders D D, which drawsupon the cords 0 0 and throws the brakes thereon out into theundisturbed water, thus causing the boats to be retarded and brought toa state of rest. These brakes can be placed at any point along the sidesof the boats; but-when used for steering the train or single boats theyshould be at the corners, as shown. The cords 0 0 should pass over orbetween friction-rolls connected to an adjustable standard, which can beused for the purpose of elevating and lowering the tiller- 5 of theboat. More or less of these corrugations can be formed to giveadditional stiffness and strength to the sides of the boat, as circumstances may require.

The transportation-boats are all made of the same width and depth, whilethe locomotive tug-boat is made of the same width at its stern, and ofthe same depth, or nearly so, throughout its length. The width graduallytapers in a curved line as it approaches its bow, which 1 is made verysharp, so as to offer theleast possible resistance while cleaving thewater. The stern boat, G, is constructed upon the same principle, withits sharp stern at the extreme rear of the train. Thus by means of thetwo sharp ends of the train and the continuous width of the intermediateboats, but one cleavage to the water is formed; and, also, inconsequence of the sharp ends of the train no waves are formed as it advances and recedes through the Water.

I am aware that it is not new to operate more than one rudder with asingle cord; nor isit new to operate rudders by the direct stroke of apiston in a cylinder.

What I claim, and desire to secure byvLetters Patent, is

' 1. In alocomotive-boat,theswinging frame, the traction-wheel andbearings carried by said frame, the vertical screw-shaft stepped at itsbase, and swiveled nut on said frame through which said screw-shaftpasses, all in combination, substantially as stated.

2. In a locomotive-boat, a truck-frame under the ,boat and adjustablerelatively thereto, a vertical screw-shaft stepped in the truck, a fixednut at the deck through which the screw 7 passes, and mechanism forturning the screw, all in combination, substantially as set forth.

3. In combination, the hull of alocomotiveboat, the side water-ballastchamber, the valve controlling the entrance of water to said chamber,the tubular stem to said valve perforated as described, and afloat-indicator in said valve-stem, all substantially as set forth.

4.. The brace, as h, attached to the deck and made in bracket form, asdescribed, the draftbolt passing through said brace and into the deck,the hub of the draw-head made vertically adjustable on said bolt, andthe draw bar or head connected to said hub and to the succeeding boat,all in combination, substantially as set forth.

5. In a flexible train-boat, a series of rudders, one at the rear cornerof each section, tiller-cords connecting the series of rudders in themanner shown, sheaves near one end of the train of boats round which thetillercords pass, and cylinders to operate the tiller-cords, whereby therudders may be closed against the sides of the boat to close theopenings between sections or thrown out to act asbrakes, all beingcombined,as shown and described.

6. In a train of boats, an adjustable apron hinged to the bottom of onesection and extending backward, as described, and mechananism,substantially as described,to raise or lower the free end of said apron,combined substantially as described.

7. The combination,with a boat-section, of an apron hinged to the bottomand nearthe end thereof, wedge-shaped side pieces, and a stern pieceattached tosaid apron, and mechanism, substantially as described, forraising and lowering the free end of the apron,whereby the side and endpieces close over. the boat when the apron closes against its bottom,all substantially as stated.

8.- The combination, with boat-sections constituting a train-boat,ofmechanism, substantially as described, for retaining the sections atdifferent elevations relatively to each other, and an adjustable apronat the bottom of one section adj ustahle, substantially as described, toform'an incline to the bottom of the next section, all substantially asstated.

DAVID WELLES COOKE.

WVitnesses:

CHAS. W. RAMsAY, CHAS. RAETTIG.

